#42 - Apostrophe (') - English Grammar


top deco

Apostrophe (')

Punctuation is a mark that makes a meaning of a sentence clear. Another common punctuation mark is the apostrophe. An apostrophe is used to indicate possession or used with contractions.Apostrophe in PossessionPossessive nouns are used to show ownership or possession. Ownership is the act of owning or having something. For singular nouns, add an apostrophe and "s" ('s).
  • John's book
  • Kerry's car
  • Grandmother's mirror
  • Audrey's hat
  • Sophie's dog
  • Bob's shoe
  • Linda's house
  • William's hammer
For plural nouns, just add an apostrophe (').
  • The kids' toys
  • My parents' house
  • The teachers' lounge
  • The students' cafeteria
  • My brothers' room
  • The birds' nest
  • The cats' litter box
  • My sisters' clothes
Apostrophe in ContractionsA common use of apostrophes is for contractions. A contraction is the combination of two words using an apostrophe. One of the words is shortened and the apostrophe takes the place of the omitted letter(s). The combination can be pronoun and verb or negative verb forms.
Pronoun + Be verbContraction
  • I am
  • You are
  • He is
  • She is
  • They are
  • We are
  • It is
  • I'm
  • You're
  • He's
  • She's
  • They're
  • We're
  • It's
Pronoun + willContraction
  • I will
  • You will
  • He will
  • She will
  • They will
  • We will
  • It will
  • I'll
  • You'll
  • He'll
  • She'll
  • They'll
  • We'll
  • It'll
Pronoun + wouldContraction
  • I would
  • You would
  • He would
  • She would
  • They would
  • We would
  • It would
  • I'd
  • You'd
  • He'd
  • She'd
  • They'd
  • We'd
  • ----------
Pronoun + haveContraction
  • I have
  • You have
  • ----------
  • ----------
  • They have
  • We have
  • ----------
  • I've
  • You've
  • ----------
  • ----------
  • They've
  • We've
  • ----------
Verb + notContraction
  • Is not
  • Are not
  • Has not
  • Had not
  • Did not
  • Do not
  • Isn't
  • Aren't
  • Hasn't
  • Hadn't
  • Didn't
  • Don't
Verb + notContraction
  • Would not
  • Will not
  • Cannot
  • Could not
  • Should not
  • Wouldn't
  • Won't
  • Can't
  • Couldn't
  • Shouldn't




previous lessonnext lesson
bottom deco